Stop for sound-reproducing machines



F. A. NOLAN.

STOP FOR SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FlLED JUNE 3. I918.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

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HTTOP/VE 4 UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE.

runners A. NOLAN, on ST. 'rAULjMINNEsorA.

STOP FOR SOUND-REPRODUGING MACHINES;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Francis A. NOLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stops for Sound-Reproducing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in stops for sound reproducing machines, which are adapted to automatically arrest the rotation of a record structure when the playing of a record is completed, so as to avoid scratching the record by the needle or stylus and the unpleasant noise arising therefrom.

More particularly this invention relates to a feature which automatically causes the gradual stopping of the record, so as to relieve the strain from the governorand mechanism which drives the turn table and which heretofore has resulted from the abrupt stopping of the turn table. My invention also contemplates certain novel features pertaining to the brake mechanism employed, and to these ends comprises the features of construction and combination of parts which will hereinafter be particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure lis a plan of a detail of a sound reproducing machine of the conventional Victor type to which my invention is shown applied, part of the structure of said machine being broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is a perspective of the trip element; Fig. 3 is 'a perspective of the brake element; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 11 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig.

1; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a detail of an alternative construction; Fig. is a plan of the structure illustrated in Flg. 7 Fig. 9 is a plan ofa detail of an alternatlve con- I struction, part of the turn table being broken away and in section, and Fig. 10 is another plan of a detail of an alternative construction.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawing, A indicates a portion of a sound reproducing machine of the Victor or other disk type having the usual turn table 10 and tone arm or sound tube 11, which is swiveled to turn in the usual manner as the sound box with its needle point or stylus tracks end of the brake shoe member 20'.'

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Oct, 21 1919. Application filed irune 3, 1918. serial No. 237,928. l I

in the sound groove of the record on the turn table in the usual manner either toward the center thereof or outwardly toward its periphery. The turn table 10 has the usual downwardly extending flange 12 on its periphery and arranged to engage the surface of this flange is the brake element B forming part of my improved stop mechanism. This brake has its brake member formed from a single piece of sheet metal'or other suitable material resembling in configuration a bell crank having two arms 13 and l 14 pivoted at the angle of said arms by means of a pivot screw 15 on a'base plate 16, which is fastened by screws 17 or other suitable means on the top 18 of the cabinet l: v:

or body 19 of the machine. The outer end of the brake arm 13 is provided with a ro-- tatable brake shoe '20, in the form of a collar freely rotatable upon the shank of the holding screw 21, which passes downwardly through said collar and is threaded at its lower end into the arm 13. The head of said screw prevents the, removal of the collar 20 from the arm, but permits the collar to revolve freely. This brake shoe member has a jacket or buffer 22 made of rubber or other suitable soft material secured on its periphery which is adapted when the brake flange 12 of theturn table. The revolution of the brake shoe is retarded by a coil spring 23 placed over the shank of the screw 21 and held in an orifice 24 in the lower This expansible spring bears by its lower end against the surface of the arm;13 and by its upper end against the upper end of the orifice 24 in the rotatable member 20, thus retarding and tending to stop the rotation of the brake shoe and cause the gradual stopping of the turn table when the brake is set. The brake is automatically moved with its brake shoe pressing against the flange 12 to gradually stop the turn table by means of a helical spring 25, one end of arm 14 resting against a stop post 28 on the base plate it is releasably held in said position by said spring, but as soon as the arm 14 is moved slightly awayfrom the stop 28, the spring immediately turns the brake member on the pivot screw 15 until the brake shoe 20 rolls against the periphery of the turn table and gradually stops the latter under tension of the spring 25 and the retarding action of the revoluble brake shoe. The brake member may be moved out of braking position with the arm 14c resting against the stop 28 by means of a lever 29 having an arm 30 connected by a pitman 32 to the lever 13 of the brake member and an operating arm 33 by the use of which the lever 29 can be moved on a pivot screw 34 secured on the top 18 of the cabinet or body 19. The lever 29 is arranged for convenient use by the user when standing near the forward side of the sound reroducing machine away from the side on which the brake is positioned.

The trip device 0 comprises a flat collar 35, which may be placed over the tone arm 11 and made to assume a position resting on the shoulder 36 near the swiveled end of the tone arm adjoining the brake member B. This collar is free to turn about the vertical aXis of the tone arm, but is retarded in its movement by a pair ,of downand inturned spring arms 36 which rotatably engage the tone arm in an annular groove 37 and tend to hold the collar from turning and againstremoval therefrom. The collar 35 is formed with a trip shoulder 38, which is arranged to strike against an upturned end 39 on the brake arm 14 and cause the brake member to be released into brake seting position when the tone arm turns and the stylus of the sound boX reaches the end of the sound groove of a record being played. The collar 35 is also formed with a hand operable adjusting lever 39 radiating therefrom and carrying a compensator 40 on its outer end which is adapted to be moved with the trip member against an adjustable stop 41 constructed on the base plate 16.

The compensator 4:0 is in the form of a flat plate pivoted at 42 on the arm 39 and having on its outer free end a handle 43. The plate of the compensator 4:0 is formed with two depending flanges a l and 45, which allow free but limited movement of the outer free end of said plate when the latter is turned on its pivot 42 by said flanges striking against the side edges of the arm 39. This free play is adapted to compensate for the lost motion occurring due to loose joints in the tone arm and the turn table and other parts of the machine and also the movement of the arm 14. from set position to released position. This lost motion compensator is regulated by the stop 41, which is in the form of an upturned flange on the plate 16 and an adjusting screw 46 against which the flange 44 is adapted to impinge when the trip C is set in position to release the brake at a predetermined time during the operation of the sound reproducing machine. Before playing the record which is placed on the turn table in the usual manner, the trip member C is set in position after the reproducing point of the sound boX is set at the end of the sound groove by moving the trip arm 39 by the handle 43 until the flange let of the compensator presses against the outer end of the adjusting screw l6 when the brake element B is in released position. The tone arm is then moved into starting position carrying with it the trip member C and the brake B is then raised into non applied or set position against the post 28 where it is held automatically by the spring 25, thus allowing the turn table to revolve freely. In the operation just described there is a predetermined distance which the brake member C will travel from fully set position as illustrated in Fig. 1 until reaching a position when it will be released automatically by the spring 25 and move into a position when the shoe 20 will engage the side 12 of the turn table and gradually stop the turn table from revolving. This lost motion unless compensated by the trip renders the release of the brake into braking position at precisely a predetermined instant when the end of the sound groove is reached by the reproducing point inaccurate and imperfect. This imperfection is entirely overcome by the use of my invention and the brake is constructed, so that it is held in set position without the use of any parts such as a shoulder and ratchet dog and so that the turn table and parts of the machine are not subjected to a severe jar and strain by abruptly stopping as heretofore. The gradual checking or stopping of the turn table can be selec tively arranged by the use of a strong or weak spring 23 and the sound of the roll ing contact between the brake element and the turn table is subdued by the use of the buffer 22 which is made of rubber or other suitable soft material. The revoluble brake shoe may also be constructed without a helical spring 23 by the use of a flat spring 50 secured on the arm 13 and pressing upwardly against the lower end of the revoluble brake shoe 20 (see Figs. 7 and 8). A modification of the brake element is also illustrated in Fig. 9, in which the brake shoe 51 is adapted to roll against the inner surface of the flange 52 0f the turn table 53 to gradually stop the turn table from revolving. The brake lever is also held in set position and moved automatically with its brake shoe in released position by the use of a coil spring 54 applied in substantially the same manner as in the construction illustrated in Fig. 1. The same construction of brake element shown in Fig. 9 is also illustrated in Fig. 10, except that the brake shoe is arranged to press against the outer surface of the fiange 52 of the turn table.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the'apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims:

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. Brake mechanism for stopping a moving element in which a brake member occupies two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, an actuating member adapted to cause the setting of the brake, means interposed between the actuating member and the brake, adapted to be selectively positioned to compensate for the difference between the set and released positions of the brake, said brake member having a revoluble brake shoe adapted to roll in contact with said moving element to gradually stop the same.

2. Brake mechanism for stopping a moving element in which a brake member occupies two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, an actuating member adapted to cause the setting of the brake and a revoluble brake shoe carried by said brake member adapted to roll in contact with said moving element to gradually stop the same.

3. Brake mechanism for stopping a moving element in which a brake member occupies two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, an actuating member adapted to cause the setting of the brake and a spring retarded revoluble brake shoe carried by said brake member adapted to roll in contact with said moving element to gradually stop the same.

4. Brake mechanism for stopping a moving element in which a brake member occupies two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, an actuating member adapted to cause the setting of the brake and a spring retarded revoluble brake shoe carried by said brake member having a buffer over its surface adapted to roll in contact with said moving element to gradually stop the same.

5. Brake mechanism, comprising, a support, a brake member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to assume two positions one When the brake is set and the other when the brake is released, a spring attached to said brake member and support arranged in one position to hold the brake member in set position and in another position to draw the brake member into released position, and an actuating element adapted to be movably supported by the tone arm of a sound reproducing machine to move the brake member into a position when said spring will move the brake member into released position. 1

V 6. Brake mechanism, comprising, a support, a brake member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to assume two positions'one when the brake is set and the other when the brake is released, a stop against which the brake member will rest in set position, a spring attached to said brake member and support arranged in one position to hold the brake member in set position and in another position to draw the brake member into released position, and an actuating element adapted to be movably supported by the tone arm of a sound reproducing machine to move the brake mem-' ber into a position away from said stop when said spring will move the'brake member into released position.

7. Brakemechanism, comprising, a support, a brake member pivotally mounted on said support and adapted to assume two positions one when the brake is set and the other when the brake is released, a stop against which the brake member will rest in set position, a spring attached to said brake 95 member and support arranged in one position to hold the brake member in set position and in another position to draw the brake member into released position, an actuating element adapted to be movably supported by the tone arm of a sound reproducing machine to move the brake member into a position away from said stop when said spring will move the brake member into released position, and a revoluble brake shoe 105 carried by said brake member adapted to press against a movable object to be stopped when the brake member is released.

8. Brake mechanism for stopping the turn table of a sound reproducing machine from revolving when the tone arm reaches a predetermined point of movement, comprising, in combination, a brake member for stopping said tableadapted to occupy two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, and a releasing element comprising a flat collar adapted to fit over and turn on said tone arm having a down turned spring arm adapted to press against the side of said tone arm to' retard revolution of said releasing element thereon.

9. Brake mechanism for stopping the turn table of a soundreproducing machine from reyolving when the tone arm reaches a prev determined point of movement, comprising, in combination, a brake member for stopping said table adapted to occupy two positions, one where the brake is set and the other where the brake is released, and a reduring the movement of the tone arm, and an outstanding member by which the collar can be turned on said tone arm,

In testimony whereof, I havesigned my name to this specification.

- FRANCIS A. NOLAN.

leasing element comprising a flat collar adapted to fit over and turn on said tone arm having a down turned spring arm adapted to press against the side of said tone arm to retard revolution of said releasing element thereon, a shoulder adapted to contact with said brake member to release the latter Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G." 

